CANNY first time buyers Matt Evans and Nikki Price bided their time until they could afford a family sized house before launching themselves into the property market.

They weren’t tempted to start off in a flat and gradually trade up to where they are now.

Property experts say the couple in Bucks are part of a growing trend among first time homeowners.

By sitting tight till the time is right they save themselves thousands of pounds in stamp duty as well as doubled up legal and estate agents’ fees by missing out the lower rungs of the ladder and joining it further up.

According to Land Registry figures, the average cost of a flat In England and Wales fell by 1.6 per cent in the year to the end of April partly due to young couples leapfrogging the traditional starter home.

The strategy pays off big time. More and more like Matt and Nikki are recognising the advantages.

For a start, first time buyers are exempt from stamp duty on the first £300,000 of the price of their property regardless of how expensive it is. The one-off tax break won’t be available to off-set the cost of future moves.

Matt and Nikki both work in Central London. He works in technology, Nikki is employed in the retail industry. He’s 41, she’s 35.

Matt said: “We rented a one-bedroom flat in St John’s Wood near Regents Park for six years. It was ideal for getting into Central London. It suited us fine until we reached the point two years ago when we wanted to buy our own house, get a dog and enjoy everything the countryside has to offer.

“We were looking for a village with a good community feel. We wanted to be north-west of London so we weren’t moving further away from family in Herefordshire.

“We identified Haddenham as our location of choice, partly because of the easy commute to London. We were aware of new developments coming up in the village so we decided to rent until we found a newly built house we loved. As soon as CALA started work on Aspen Park we went along and reserved our home off-plan. We knew it was the place for us. As first time buyers we had done our research into schemes to help us on to the property ladder. Help to Buy had always been an attractive option. It seemed like a no-brainer to take advantage of it.

“Thanks to that we’ve been able to buy a four bedroom semi with plenty of space for Nikki and I and our Labrador, Monty.

“When visitors come we treat them to the larger bedroom with en suite on the first floor and we use the second bedroom on the first floor as our study. It means we all have our own space – we have the top floor and guests have the first floor.

“We’re really happy in our new home in Haddenham,” Matt says. “It was worth the wait. We don’t have to get in the car to give Monty a great long walk off the lead. We have beautiful country walks right on the doorstep and although our commute is longer than when we were living in London, it is only a 45 minute direct train to Marylebone from the newly upgraded Haddenham and Thame Parkway station within walking distance of our house and if you’re travelling into London by car, Junction 7 of the M40 is just under six and a half miles away.”

The show homes at Aspen Park are open everyday from 11-5.